From the Ground Up
by sexyslytherin2
Summary: Life after the War isnt as easy as the trio had wished it to be. Now they have to deal with creating a new ministry, finding that trying to have normal lives and romance is difficult when you are building from the ground up.. NEW CHAPTER! HPGW and RWHG
1. Revolutionary Ideas

**A/N: Hey everybody!! Ok, so I know I don't like to wonder from my HG/DM stories, but after reading **_**Deathly Hallows**_**, I just couldn't hold in a story any longer. This is taking place after the 7****th**** book and before the epilogue. Enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**Disclaimer: Duh people, we've gone over this already!!**

**Chapter One: Revolutionary Ideas**

Harry had never woken up with this feeling before. It was a month after his triumph over Tom Riddle, and he woke up smiling, turning over in _his _bed, in number 12 Grimuald place: _his_ house. He felt as if contentment was seeping out of every pore. Harry sat up, put his glasses on and beamed at his surroundings. Ginny was sleeping calmly in the bed to his right, her pink sheets covering her petite frame neatly. He stepped quietly out of his bed and drifted over to Ginny. He bent over and kissed her forehead, and when she did not stir he continued towards the door that would take him to the rest of his house. On his way to the exit, he glanced at the empty bed against the west wall, and confusedly looked at the other bed in the room. He smirked easily when he saw both red and brown hair atop the pillow. Harry exited the room, stilling smirking at Hermione and Ron.

Ever since the day the locket Horcrux was destroyed, it became more and more obvious that his best friends belonged together, although Harry never told Hermione the details of their experience, he was sure she expected more than a simple "but Ron saved me…"

That day almost haunted Harry, for he couldn't imagine what it must have felt like for Ron; to remain friends with Harry, all the while thinking that he was less a man, less a wizard, and less desirable than he. But Ron had been incorrect, and for the past couple weeks, Harry had awoken to find Hermione migrated to Ron's bed by the time he had woken.

The lives that had been lost that month ago were now buried and respected, and although there was still great sadness circling the deaths of Fred, Remus and Tonks, it was understood that they had not died in vain, which seemed to take the bite out of everyone's misery; it even gave Mrs. Weasley a reason to smile every so often. Percy was also ever-present at the Burrow, making up for lost time, Harry supposed. He had never seen Percy so enthusiastic about anything, besides his work at the ministry. Although it seemed Percy was even more enthusiastic about being a good brother, son and friend; doing any small job his parents asked of him, and joining in the jokes and games with Hermione, Ron, Ginny and George.

George took Fred's death the worst of everybody, perhaps even worse than Mrs. Weasley. Harry did not know what losing a sibling must be like, let alone a twin; someone to be connected with from birth, besides your parents. George had lost his partner-in-crime. Although, it was sure he had not lost his sense of humor, as he joked that he could super-glue an extendable ear to his _holey_ head.

Teddy Tonks, although parentless, was a very cheery baby and could change his appearance the same way his mother could. He was always visiting Harry's house, and Harry's ears would become red as Teddy was placed in his arms and Ginny cooed over him. It felt oddly right to him. He would always catch Mr. Weasley smirk at this scene, and Ron take hold of Hermione's hand in what seemed to be affection.

Harry stepped into his kitchen and heard a _pop!_ as Kreacher appeared at his feet.

"Would master like me to bring him and his friends the usual breakfast?"

"Yes, that would be great, Kreacher."

Kreacher _pop!_ed and appeared shortly afterward with a tray of mugs, muffins and bacon.

"Will there be visitors today as well, Master?"

"Yes, the Weasley's are all coming over and I believe the Tonks's are coming as well. Why do you ask?" Harry asked with a yawn.

"Well Master," Kreacher said, then cleared his throat, "I noticed you and the Miss Weasley have barely had any alone time. I am surprised at all the company you keep having."

Harry burrowed his brows. "Oh…"

Kreacher snapped his fingers and a nicely warm mug of cider picked itself off the tray in front of Harry, who took a long sip, knowing that Kreacher was right… they had barely been able to touch each other.

"And it seems," Kreacher went on, in a quiet voice, "that the mud-Miss Hermione and young Mr. Weasley have had _quite a bit_ of _alone time_."

Harry nearly choked on his cider. "Excuse me?"

Kreacher's eyes widened, now realizing that he may have said too much. "I know s-spying is b-bad Master. But I thought someone was hurt!"

Harry had absentmindedly put his mug down and was now looking at the elf with interest. "Hurt?" he said eagerly. "What do you mean Kreacher?"

Kreacher glanced at his master apprehensively. "Well Master, I was passing by the library upstairs, and I heard a sort of moaning-"

Harry's mouth hung open, having a great suspicion of where this was going.

"I opened the door to the library, and young Mr. Weasley was- uh – uhh-… and-and Miss Hermione wasn't fully- fully _covered_…"

"Thank you Kreacher!" Harry said abruptly, he really didn't need to hear the details of his best friends shagging.

"They nearly knocked over an entire shelf Master! I picked all the books up, but I don't think they saw me. They were rather busy-"

"Thank you!" Harry said more loudly than was needed. "You're sure they did not see you?" Harry asked after a moment.

"Oh yes," he said, as cheerfully as Kreacher could sound, after realizing he was not in trouble. "They knew not I saw them."

Harry took another contemplative sip of his cider and let it warm his insides even more. He heard the sound of bare feet coming into the tile kitchen and heard a small _pop!_ as Kreacher disappeared.

Harry turned around and saw Ginny, walking very stiffly towards him. He watched her intensely as she stretched and her shirt lifted a little bit, revealing skin he had barely seen of hers in a long while.

"Harry Potter," she said smirking at him, "are you checking me out?"

Harry did not try to hide his grin. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Harry was slightly taken aback as Ginny took a step towards him; his body nearly shook for her as her arms slid around his neck.

"Absolutely nothing."

Harry could have melted as Ginny took his lips in her own, and kissed him for what seemed to carry through a lifetime. Harry felt as though he was twirling on a tire-swing with his eyes closed. Blissfully unaware of the audience he and Ginny had as they twirled round and round and round.

"Hem hem…"

Ginny did not jump back, the way Harry expected her to, but gently pulled away and opened one eye to glare at her brother. "We're a little busy at the moment."

"Yes," said Ron, who's hair was a vicious victim of bed-head, "I can see that." He yawned and stretched.

Hermione was trotting briskly down the stairs, a pair of jeans and neat top now on her body. Her hair was loose and wavy, but she had clearly already put her make-up on. "Good morning everyone!"

Everybody else stared at her in astonishment. "You're already dressed?" Ginny said now leaning against Harry.

"Well, it's morning, and we have guests coming!" Hermione said excitedly, taking a mug of cider for herself.

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione and smirked to himself. "Sleep well, Hermione?" He said taking another sip.

Hermione put her mug down. "Yes, I suppose." She side-glanced at Ron and took a long sip to hide the smile pulling at her mouth. "How about you, Ron," she said trying to keep a grin hidden.

Ron washed his muffin down with some cider and shrugged his shoulders. "Mmm… slept alright I suppose. I was kinda hot though…"

"I bet," Harry blurted.

Ron raised and eye-brow and tilted his head. "You alright mate?"

"Well, I was just wondering," Harry said, wrapping his arms around Ginny. "How much time did you spend in the Hogwarts library when we were back in school?"

Ron scratched his head. "I dunno. I was only there when Hermione made us go…"

Hermione looked very confusedly from Harry to Ron, trying to figure out where this conversation was going . "Harry what-"

"Guess what Kreacher told me this morning?" Harry said, not really to one person in particular, seeming to change the subject randomly.

"I dunno," Ron said rolling his eyes at Harry's A.D.D., "he wants a pony for Christmas this year?"

"No, not quite."

"Then I give up…"

"Kreacher said that he saw you in the library. I was amazed at how much you have been reading lately. Find anything good up there?"

Ron grinned stupidly. "Yes, _very_ good," he said. He did not seem embarrassed, but slightly relieved now that he knew what Harry was talking about. Hermione, on the other hand, seemed to be stuttering as the conversation was progressing.

"Well-well-I-I was showing Ron some excellent books I read back in fifth year-"

"I don't really recall taking anatomy in fifth year…" Harry said matter-of-factly.

Ginny, who seemed filled with confusion a moment ago, was suddenly bursting with realization, and rounded on Hermione. "Ew!! Have you been shagging my brother in Harry's house?!"

Hermione's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "I – well-we… that's totally beside the point!" Hermione said defiantly.

Ginny made a face of shock and horror, and looked at her brother. "In _Harry's_ house?!" Ginny shuddered. "Wait," she said after a moment's pause, "you haven't like, done it when Harry and I were in the room, right?"

No answer.

"_RIGHT?!_"

"Well… we don't exactly plan it," Ron said clearly.

Ginny had the same expression and shuddered again. "Well, I think I'm just going to take a shower and get ready. I can't deal with this right now."

Hermione's face rested in her hands on the countertop and lifted her head only when she heard footsteps going back upstairs. She looked at Harry with a red face, "I'm really sorry Harry, and we didn't mean to disrespect your house or anything…"

"I'm not apologizing for nothing!" Ron said suddenly, looking shocked and defiant. "I've been quite pleased with the last few weeks," he winked at Hermione, "_quite _pleased! If you think the point of bringing this up was to get me to say I was sorry, then you were seriously mistaken."

Harry looked at Ron and wasn't really sure what to say. He hadn't been angry with them, but he wished they had told him, rather than needing to bring it up at breakfast. "I don't want an apology, or even an explanation. Just try- try not to do it when I'm in the room, ok?"

"Ok."

"And if you… make a mess- just clean up after yourselves a little bit. I don't wanna send Kreacher to therapy."

Hermione blushed even more, "Ok, Harry."

Harry nodded conclusively and smiled at his two best friends. "Well, if you two don't mind, I'm going to join Ginny in the shower."\

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Hermione had never felt anything like this in her entire life. She was living on her good instinct, logic taking a back seat to the heart that was now in the driver's seat. Every moment she spent alive she wanted to be by Ron's side, and when she couldn't be with him she was thinking about him. She would day-dream about how good it felt when he touched her, how he could make her laugh, how he listened to her and made good conversation with her parents.

Hermione smiled silently as she watched Ron inspect each muffin on the tray carefully. Her thoughts swam back to the past few weeks, all their good times; the new experiences she had only shared with him.

"_Are you sure you're ready, 'Mione?"_

"_Ron- I will curse you into the next dimension if you ask me one more time."_

_Ron smirked at her, and then kissed her the way he always did, as if it was the last time. They had somehow ended up in a separate part of Grimauld Place. Hermione's naked body straddled Ron, and he quivered with delight as he could feel her wet juices dripping onto him. "Hermione…" he moaned. He wanted her more then he could put into words._

_Hermione pulled her mouth away from his and felt and incredible jolt of electricity go up her spine. "Yes, Ron?"_

_She looked into his eyes, and instead of seeing his normally humorous eyes, she saw much more, realizing he was no longer the boy she had met on the Hogwarts Express those many years ago. He was now a man, and there was only one way to describe how Hermione felt about him…_

"_I love you, Hermione."_

_Hermione felt tears forming behind her eyes, threatening to break the dam. "I love you too." She had never said any sentence with such meaning and truth before. _

_Ron didn't try to hide his grin and pleasure as he placed his hand onto Hermione's soft cheek; she put her hand over his and wished that the moment would last forever. She had never thought Ron as a romantic being, but he was proving her wrong every day that passed. _

"_I've loved you for so long, I'm sorry it took this long."_

_Hermione kissed him long and hard, making sure the message sunk in. "Some things are just worth waiting for."_

_With that final note, Hermione gently lowered herself onto Ron, finding that it hurt as much as she expected it to. She let a small gasp of pain and kissed Ron, letting him know it was not his fault that she was feeling discomforted. _

Hermione's mind returned to the present day as Ron came up from behind her and kissed her neck as he passed. "Well that wasn't an awkward or anything," he said, reflecting on their morning.

Hermione snorted. "Embarrassing, more like it."

Ron smirked at his love. "Embarrassed?" he came up from behind her again and placed his hands at her sides. "Embarrassed at how you _beg_ for me at least twice a day?"

Hermione's mouth hung open. "You're out of your mind, you are!" She turned around in the stool she was sitting on and faced him. "Twice a day? You make me sound like I have my mind in the gutter…" Hemione trailed off as she finished her cider.

"HA!" Ron said in her face. "Like you don't lead me away from Ginny and Harry every chance you get?!"

Hermione smirked at Ron, "Why… you can't handle it?"

Ron looked somewhere between shocked and insulted. "I-I-what!?" He got his face inches from hers then said, in a very seductive voice, "You think you want to be handled now?"

Hermione almost giggled. "Now who has their mind in the gutter?"

"Me. But just this once. I can usually resist you. Even though you have an incredible arse," he kissed her neck, "and sexy legs," kiss on the other side of her neck, "perfect breasts," kiss on the collar bone, "and you love me, so clearly you're a genius." Ron smiled as Hermione laughed out loud.

"Not a genius. Just lucky." Hermione kissed Ron again. She wanted him, but deciding to prove him wrong, she got up from her stool and gave him a seductive look, before heading back upstairs.

"Hey wait!" Ron grabbed her hand as she started up the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"Well, Ginny and Harry should be done by now, I think I'm gong to take a shower."

"But you're already dressed!"

"Can never be too clean, though." Hermione jumped up a couple more steps.

"Well… do you want some company?" Ron said hopefully.

"Well I don't want to _lead you away_ from anything important." Hermione said with mock concern.

"Au contraire," Ron said in a serious voice. "I was going to take a shower in a minute anyway. We shouldn't waste water. It would be unethical."

Hermione nodded, "Yes, it would be for the environment."

"Oh yea… saving the Wizarding World from Lord Voldemort isn't enough. We should take it a step farther."

"Yes, it could be our new campaign, 'Don't waste water…shower with a friend'".

Ron paused at this and jumped up to the same step as Hermione. He looked at her and tilted his head with a sort of amusement, "I'd like to think we are more then friends at this point."

Hermione, who was now sharing a small stair with Ron, looked up at him and was for once in her life, at a loss for words. She couldn't decide whether standing there in silence would make her look more stupid than trying to speak, considering her mind had been wiped clean. "Oh…"

Yes, saying nothing would have sounded less idiotic than saying _"oh"_.

Ron seemed to be trying to find words that wouldn't seem awkward or stupid as well, his gaze was searching Hermione's face, as if etching some kind of code onto her skin. "Well, I only mean that I think of us as… you know… a couple."

Hermione bit her bottom lip. "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"

Ron grinned. "Yeah… I think that would be a good idea. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Hemione smiled. "Are you sure you don't wanna give Lavender another chance."

"Oh you're really funny."

"That's what they keep telling me." Hermione continued up the stairs and into the bathroom, where Ron joined her, pretending they did not notice Harry and Ginny as they passed the bedroom.

**fjdsjoitkljfg;lkshvgdfhg';fj;jfkekjdsfkjdsfksfdkljryeop[irelhfadsjrehfkl**

"Can't we have some kind of…vacation?!"

"You can't take a vacation from _life_ Ronald! You, Harry and Hermione have a duty to the Wizarding World."

"Well we have a duty to ourselves, too! We just buried three people who were important to us! We need to take a break before jumping back into-"

Harry was regretting having invited his company over. The Weasley's had brought an extensive to-do list for the trio, including many tasks that would probably take years to fully achieve. They were sitting in Harry's dining room, all the Weasley's present. Andromeda was also there with Teddy, who insisted being held by Harry the moment he saw him. They had all seated themselves at the large dining room table, Harry at one head, and Mr. Weasley at the other. Ron and Hermione were the two seats closest to him, sitting across from each other. Ginny had taken to sit beside her mother, who fussed over Ginny for quite some times when they had first arrived.

"There is no way we can re-build an entire government from the ground up!" Ron got out of his seat, frustrated at Percy, who kept trying to shove documents in his face. "The three of us didn't even graduate!"

"Well obviously you would be helped a great deal by the people who have remained loyal to the ministry all along, but every wizard in the world looks at you three as a sort of symbol. Especially you, Harry."

Harry now had a head ache and Teddy was becoming increasingly heavy in his arms. "Well I have no idea how to rebuild a- a country in essence. Won't everybody know I'm just the poster boy for all of this?"

"No! Not at all, Harry. The Order has been receiving many owls wondering when you will take office."

Harry let out a laugh. "They think I should be Minister of Magic? That's crazy; I'm not even 18 yet!"

"But many people have followed you, _survived_ with you. They trust you. They know your good instincts." Mr. Weasley now let his voice dominate his son's. "And therefore," he continued, "I think you should publicly announce who the next Minister should be. Give them an idea of where this world is going. There is still hate, confusion, and prejudice in the world. Give those who seek a better life some hope, Harry."

Harry could not argue. No longer having the patience to hold the wriggling baby, he handed Teddy off to Hermione, who immediately started cooing at him.

"Well it should obviously be Kingsley. He could possibly become the best Minister we have ever had. He deserves it."

Everyone nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, I concur. You should address the Wizards of Britain yourself; explain to them that you will be there every step of the way in rebuilding communities that held strong before the war started."

"God this is going to be_ a lot_ of work."

Percy smiled at his youngest brother. "You have no idea." Percy walked over to the head of the table. "This announcement should take place within the next few days, I think. Purebloods are still on a rampage, and those who will be willing to end the prejudice will need to know that the ministry is going to hold firm and be virtually incorruptible."

"So you want the three of us to basically pick _all new_ ministry officials, considering they are all either," Ron counted on his fingers, "imperioused, dead, corrupted or missing."

"Yes. That's the general idea."

"But we are only-"

"Ron," Mrs. Weasley had now taken a front, "you keep mentioning your age and how you seem to have not accomplished much. But without the three of you, Lord Voldemort would have gotten away with it all over again. You have all taken on a great deal before. It is time to start a new life. And the Wizarding World is counting on all of you to be leading this. To truly finish what _you_ started: A revolution."

**We'reallinthistogetherOnceweknowthatweareWe'reallstarsandweseethatWe'reallinthistogetherAnditshowswhenwestandhandinhandMakeourdreamscometrue**

**A/N: Well… that's the first chapter… tell me what you think… is it worth continuing?? I do have some good ideas for later chapters. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!! **

_**In ink and peace,**_

**_xoxo, Jackie _**


	2. Team Player

**AN: OMG I'm so fucking sorry senior year has been totally nuts and I haven't had a chance to update or write!! I'm trying my best hopefully it wont take another 4 months hahaha 3 **

**Chapter Two: Team Players**

Ron was not having as much fun as he hoped. Living with Hermione, Ginny and Harry was not turning out the way he wished. He barely saw Ginny, Harry was busy trying to organize things for the ministry, and Hermione had been given the long, time-consuming task that was Hogwarts. He was told to help Harry, but would often find that there was so much work he didn't know where to start.

So he inevitably ended up doing nothing.

Ron spent a lot of his time fantasizing about life after the re-building was over. His potential future with Hermione, his family, and his career… it was overwhelming. Then he would see Hermione and Harry organizing interviews, making construction appointments and arranging meetings. He was clearly not making things go faster.

"Ron, move your arse!"

"Bite me." Ron glared at his sister. Sure, he was sitting around the house. But Ginny wasn't his mother.

"Ron what are you _doing_!?" Mrs. Weasley said.

Ron jumped up, "Umm… I'm going to find Harry."

"He's in a meeting right now."

"Oh. Well then I'll find Hermione…"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "She's at Hogwarts."

Ron stared at the wall for some support. "Well… then I guess I'll just-"

"Hey Ron, can you help me over here?" George walked by in a hurry, heading towards the upstairs.

"Sure thing!"

Ron sprinted up after him. "So what do you need help-"

"Are you dense in the head?" George said abruptly at the top of the stairs.

"I've gotten that before-"

George did not laugh. In fact, he looked upset. "Ron, you need to pull your weight. I-I overheard some of the order talking. They aren't very happy with you. You're supposed to be helping Harry. I know you want this to just be over with… but we all need to make this go faster. You need to do something or they will pull you off of this project."

Ron stared at George with a reproachful look. "You have no idea what you're talking about. They can't pull me off of this; I've been best friends with Harry from the beginning!"

George hung his head. "I guess you haven't seen this then," George tossed something at Ron, who fumbled it before getting a good look at it.

"The _Daily Prophet_?"

"Read the article on page three…"

Ron flipped a few pages and the sound of crunching newspaper filled the stairway. "_Trio to Duo: Is One of the Famous Heroes About to Get the Boot_?" Ron paused and looked at George, who nodded at him to continue with the story. "_According sources close to Harry Potter, there is one third of the trio who hasn't been pulling his weight for the last few weeks. Many wonder if this member will be ejected from the rebuilding process or if he will be replaced with somebody who is willing to give all of the effort needed to create a safe world…" _Ron turned the page, "_Maybe Harry Potter is not the great hero we think him to be, maybe, just maybe 17 is too young to be trying to take over the Ministry._" Ron's eyes glanced up to his brother. "That's rubbish. The paper is just still under control by the corruption. That's just another thing we have to take care of. They want us to seem inefficient. And there is no way in bloody hell people are going to believe this about Harry. It's insane. If he wanted to take over the Ministry he would have by now."

"Well, then we need to get a move on that, considering _The Prophet_ will be our best way to gain followers. We can't have these racist bastards controlling our media. And this was printed two days ago."

Ron folded up the paper and handed it back to George. "Thanks, I'll take care of it."

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"Thank you for supporting me, it means a lot for someone like you to be behind me on this."

"No problem at all Kingsley, we need this election to move quickly and efficiently. I wouldn't want any other person in the minister's seat but you."

"Thank you Harry, that's quite a high compliment."

Harry seated the auror across from him, and it was at this point that Harry realized that they were making a difference, in some point in the future, everything would in fact, be ok. Harry had never lived in a world like that before. It made him nervous and excited. He could not fail. He would not let himself fail.

"Ok, where to start," Kinglsey said, picking up damage reports that Hermione sent over from Hogwarts. "Is she doing this alone?"

"Well, for the time being. She has it completely under control, I assure you," Harry paused, "But there are so many workers she needs another set of hands."

Kingsley tilted his head towards Harry, "And that means…?"

"That the article in _The Prophet_ wasn't _entirely_ wrong." Harry avoided eye contact and dug around the pile of documents.

Kinglsey paused for a moment and put his report down. "You're _replacing_ somebody?!"

**23762547548658965894345929433219021394649898649243932**

Ron was now outside of the publishers' office. He was amazed at how empty the area was. He always envisioned a newspaper's office to be overflowing with papers and noisy telephone calls and overwhelmed reporters. There was nobody. The entire office was a mess, sure, but the only office light that was on was that of the publisher. Ron stood out side the door for a moment and thought about knocking, then laughed at himself before opening the door, wand firmly in his hand.

The door swung open and Ron jumped in the room, full of adrenaline, only to be severely disappointed. There was nobody in this office, sending a bizarre chill up Ron's spine. Somebody had to be running the stories.

Ron walked over to the cluttered desk and saw the computer was still running, with deadlines on post-its glaring from the screen. And it was possibly that moment when Ron got the best idea of his lifetime.

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"Is the great hall back in order?"

"Not quite, dark magic is awfully hard to undo."

"I know it is but with all these volunteers I would have liked to make more progress by now."

"I'm sorry Ms. Granger but many of our volunteers are just normal everyday wizards trying to help out, not skilled enough to make these drastic changes."

Hermione ran her fingers through her hair nervously, trying to avoid a stream of panic that threatened to teeter into her body. "Ok well, you all are doing a great job. Keep at it." She exasperatedly made another round through Hogwarts, hoping that in the next few months the rebuilding would be stable enough for the next school year to be in session.

"Hey! 'Mione!"

Hermione turned around and smiled at Harry, who gave her a much-needed hug. "Oh Harry-"

"Hermione is everything Ok?"

"I- I don't know. There's so much to do. I-I--" Hermione stopped and hung her head. "I need some help."

Harry smiled and touched her face gently. "I know, and that's exactly what I'm bringing you tonight."

Hermione smiled but seemed confused, "Tonight?"

"Yes, at dinner, we have… an adjustment made to our team."

"An adjustment?"

"Mhhmm… umm, just- don't be late for dinner tonight, alright?"

"Alright…"

"And—uh—tell Ron to be on time too, ok?"

"Ok I will…"

Harry nodded and gave Hermione a departing hug before walking away, "And uh—don't be the reason for making Ron late, ok?"

Hermione grinned slyly, "Me? Never!"

"Yeah, _right._"

But in fact at dinner time at Number 12 Grimauld Place, everyone was present and waiting. Hermione and Ron sat next to each other, clearly impatient, although Ron had a new sly quality about him. Ginny was seated next to Harry, nervously awaiting there guest, when Harry stood up and tapped on his glass.

"Thank you everyone for being here," he looked at the Weasley's and Kingsley, as well as Hermione. "We know we're under a great deal of pressure, and although that proves our efficiency on one side, it is stupid to damage our time on our self-sufficient pride." Harry stopped and looked at his friends. "So, with that said, we are going to add another member to this table, who I believe will be a great asset in our rebuilding and also from a political aspect. _Nobody_ is being replaced, so don't get yourself carried away; we are just simply—rethinking our approach to this project. So be nice."

Harry sat down to a very confused table, and before a hushed murmur could start, Mrs. Black's portrait screamed and a familiar face walked into the kitchen. Ron was one person who certainly took notice.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"Ron--"

"No, no, no, no!"

Ron--"

Harry glared as his friend sternly, clearly not amused. "We're all adults here--"

"That's right Weasel, cheer up."

"Funny ferret…" Ron spat, then turned his attention to Harry, "How do expect me to cheer up when Draco-Freakin-Malfoy is going to be on this team?"

**3274463756374563476587234563463457423627356932784627862**

**AN: Yeah, so that's it. Please review, thanksss… and I have a really sweet storyline involving all of this so stay tuned!!**


	3. Anywhere and Nowhere

**An: I've had one hell of a year. I will be consistently writing and posting until my stories are complete from now on. Enjoy!!**

**Chapter Three: Anywhere and Nowhere**

Harry flopped tiredly onto his bed, Ginny crawling up next to him. His mind was unclear and strained; trying to playback the night's events as Ginny distractedly ran her fingers up and down his chest.

"I don't know what to do."

"Well, I'd be a good place to start."

"I'm sure you would be, but Ron is taking this worse than I thought," he sighed.

Ginny sat up and looked at Harry lovingly. "You did the right thing. Malfoy is going to be a great asset to our political stance and you know that. Not to mention he is a very skilled wizard as much as I hate to admit it."

"I know- I know. I just- I was hoping Ron could move forward."

Ginny sighed. "You know how Ron is. He gets a little carried away..."

*****Iain'tgotnomoneyIain'tgotnocartotakeyouonadateIcan'tevenbuyyouflowersButtogetherwebetheperfectsoulmates*****

"IT'S MALFOY! HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST YOUR MIND?!"

Hermione didn't even flinch. This was an average yelling tone- nothing she hadn't experienced. "Ron- no Ron stop it – just listen. I don't like it all that much either but Harry wants to do this and I think Malfoy will be useful-"

"How can you even-"

"Ron stop it, it's time to grow up."

Ron made a face and went to glare at Hermione. "Would you please put some clothes on I cant concentrate on yelling if I'm staring at your ass."

Hermione shook her head as she looked through the dresser. "I'm looking for a nightgown. Just squeeze your eyes tightly if it bothers you."

Ron was quiet for a moment.

"Ron?"

"Wait what were we fighting about?"

Hermione laughed as she pulled a deep purple nightgown over her head. "I was hoping you were going to be more mature about the situation is all." Hermione sat at the foot or their bed.

"It's Malfoy, Hermione. C'mon now, did you think I'd offer to warm his bed here or something?"

Hermione sighed, "Obviously not Ron, But I was hoping for some level of maturity."

Ron continued scowling.

"For God's sake, we're not in Hogwarts anymore!"

"Yeah! Well we wouldn't be able to, would we?! The Death Eaters destroyed the castle if I remember correctly." Ron breathed heavily, "And… I recall saving his ass twice that night. That ungrateful little fucker never once said-"

"Thank you?"

Ron and Hermione looked over to the door and saw Draco leaning casually.

"Sorry to interrupt your fight-"

"We weren't fighting."

Draco smirked. "Well, sorry to interrupt your non-fight then." Draco walked into their room with no invitation and sat at Hermione's small wooden desk. "You know Weasley, you're right. I never did say thank you for saving me. So thanks."

Hermione glanced at Ron, a sudden new air of satisfaction surrounding her.

"I still don't think we need your help Malfoy," Ron said angrily.

Draco suddenly looked as angry as Ron. "You really have NO idea what's going on our there, do you? You've been shut up in here, doing the bare minimum to help Potter and there are still Death Eaters and Snatchers on the loose, kidnapping wizards and muggles- people- just people. People are still being tortured and until we do something about it nothing is going to be improved. Hogwarts is still a mess, and at this rate there's no way it will reopen for this fall. And we need an almost entire new staff at the ministry. You need me Weasley, don't even try to deny it. I can help identify snatchers and Death Eaters- not to mention I'm skilled with a wand myself. Don't say there's nothing I can do to help. You have no idea what you're talking about." And with one swift motion, Draco Malfoy exited the room.

*****Nowyou'llneverseeWhatyou'vedonetomeYoucantakebackyourmemoriesThey'renogoodtomeAndhere'sallyourliesYoucan'tlookmeintheeyes*****

It was almost four hours later when Hermione realized she had been lying awake for three hours. She slipped out of bed, silently and without disturbing Ron, who lay limply drooling next to her. She quietly tiptoed to the library and was surprised to see someone in "her" lovely red velvet chair. "Couldn't sleep?"

Draco jumped and the book in his lap flew across the room. "Christ Granger you cant sneak up on me like that! I coulda killed you!"

Hermione doubted this but said nothing. "Sorry. I cant sleep."

"Me neither. Thought I'd try and get a jump start for tomorrow."

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Taking a look at some Ministry hopefuls. Most of these idiots have no idea what their job will entail."

Hermione realized that it was not a book in his lap but a yellow filing folder filled with applications. "You should try and get some sleep."

Malfoy looked amused. "I almost never slept last year. I think I'll be ok."

Hermione swallowed a mysterious lump in her throat. "I'm sorry."

Draco looked up at her.

"You were forced into that position-"

"Please do not make excuses for me, Granger. I did some things that no wizard should ever do, should ever wish to be done. I wanted it, in the beginning at least," he seemed to trail off.

"Draco you were only sixteen there was no way-"

"Hermione were you capable of intelligent reasoning when you were sixteen?"

Hermione thought of everything she- and Harry and Ron- had gone through since they were eleven. "Well- I – yes, I suppose so."

"Well so was I. I knew what I was getting myself into."

"No Draco, of course you didn't. I'm not saying that you didn't do terrible things, because I'm sure you did," Draco looked at her darkly, "but I'm sure you were just trying to survive."

Draco smirked at her again. "Granger it amazes me that someone with your blood can be so smart."

Hermione took it as a compliment. "Draco do you feel bad for- anything?"

"Everything. Well, I mean, like I said in the beginning- getting the mark," his eyes flashed excitedly, "I wanted it so badly. I needed to show Riddle that the Malfoys are strong, that I could be as loyal as my father, that family wasn't my priority." Draco let a light laugh escape. "It's so funny really. All I wanted was respect, power - complete control. I don't belong anywhere now."

Hermione cocked her head. "How is that?"

Draco gestured towards her. "See you- you belong anywhere, where I am the exact opposite."

Hermione was still perplexed.

"You belong in the wizarding world. You are a witch. You perform highly effective spells with a wand that you attained from Ollivander at age eleven, like any other witch in Britain. You are also of muggle blood, you may come and go between worlds and be completely self-sufficient. You have loved ones on both sides and know how to handle yourself in both worlds. You belong _anywhere_ " Draco suddenly looked very sad. "I belong no where. My family is shunned from supporters of the Dark Lord and is unwelcome by the Order- as Ron proved today. We cannot function in a muggle society, and it would be most ironic, don't you think?" Hermione did not agree. "Ah well. We truly are opposites Granger. Isn't it funny?"

"We have very different senses of humor, Draco." Hermione did not find any of what Draco said funny. It was rather sad to her. Hermione had realized half-way through Draco's speech that there was a goblet of wine sitting on the side table. It appeared to be half-full, or half-empty.

"Yes, yes we do Granger. We are opposite…"

Hermione started to feel uneasy. "I'm getting tired again. I'll see you in the morning Draco. Try and get some rest."

Draco smiled again. "Yes, sleep. Probably a good idea."

"Goodnight Malfoy."

"Night Granger. Don't forget what they say about opposites now…"

Hermione pretended like she didn't hear him as she slipped out of the room.

*****Ican'ttakeitanylongerThoughtthatwewerestrongerAllwedoislingerSlippingthroughmyfingersIdon'twannatrynowAllthat'sleft'sgoodbyetoFindawaythatIcantellyou*****

**AN: Yay!! Reviews are much appreciated :-D**

**xoxo**

**Jackie  
**


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